Method for measuring topical dosage dispensed

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides a dosing system and method for quickly and accurately indicating the proper volumetric dosage of a topical preparation. The container holding the topical preparation is provided with a pictorial representation of a measurement area which is equivalent to a known amount of the preparation when dispensed from the container to cover an equivalent area. A specialized instruction set is provided on the container which equates the represented area to dosage requirement such as age, weight, and/or effective application rate usually expressed as milliliters of topical preparation per square area of skin surface.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to measuring the dosage of topical preparationssuch as lotions, insect repellants, and medicaments.

Topical preparations are commonly contained in and administered fromflexible containers such as plastic bottles and tubes. Some topicalpreparations containing active ingredients, such as insect repellantsand medicaments, should only be applied to the skin in well-controlleddosages to provide an effective result without over exposing the user tothe active ingredients. Typically, the dosage for a topical preparationis described in written terms which usually indicate how often thetopical preparation should be applied to the skin, but are typicallyvague or nondescript as to how much of the preparation should be appliedfor each dosage.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a dosing system and method for quicklyand accurately indicating the proper volumetric dosage of a topicalpreparation. The container holding the topical preparation is providedwith a pictorial representation of a measurement area which isequivalent to a known amount of the preparation when dispensed from thecontainer to cover an equivalent area. A specialized instruction set isprovided on the container which equates the represented area to dosagerequirement such as age, weight, and/or effective application rateusually expressed as milliliters of topical preparation per square areaof skin surface.

In general, in one aspect, the invention features a container fordispensing a topical preparation contained therein. The containerincludes an aperture for metering the flow of the preparation from thecontainer, and a measurement area displayed on the containercorresponding to a particular volumetric dosage of the preparation whenthe preparation is dispensed through the aperture to cover a likemeasurement area.

In preferred embodiments, the container contains insect repellant, amedicament, or other preparations including active ingredients.Preferred embodiments of the container include a flexible bottle, asqueezable tube, and a container featuring a manual pump.

In other preferred embodiments, the container includes a specializeddosage instruction displayed on the container and having a reference tothe measurement area for determining proper dosage. In preferredembodiments, the dosage instructions include dosage by weight, by age,and/or by skin area to be covered by the preparation. In yet otherpreferred embodiments, the dosage instructions include measuring a totaldosage by applying a plurality of partial dosages each measured bycomparison to the measurement area.

In general, in another aspect, the invention includes a method formeasuring the dosage of a topical preparation dispensed from a containerby applying the preparation to the skin in a pattern shaped and sized toresemble an identified area displayed on the container, and comparingthe pattern of preparation dispensed on the skin to the identifiedmeasurement area to determine the dosage of the preparation dispensed.

Preferred embodiments of the method include repeating the process toobtain the total required dosage. In yet other preferred embodiments thepreparation is applied to the skin in amounts specified by specializedinstructions, and is determined by the weight of the person, the age ofthe person, and/or the skin area to which the preparation is to beapplied.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of theinvention would be apparent from the following more particulardescription of preferred embodiments of the invention, as illustrated inthe accompanying drawings in which like references characters refer tothe same parts throughout the different views. The drawings are notnecessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustratingthe principals of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a container featuring the dosage measuringsystem of this invention including a measurement area and a specializedinstruction set.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of another embodiment of a container featuring thedosage measuring system of this invention.

FIG. 3 illustrates the format of the specialized instruction table foruse with the measurement area of this invention.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a flexible tube container featuring the dosagemeasuring system of this invention.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a container having a manual pump and featuringthe dosage measuring system of this invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIG. 1 a container 10 for holding a topical preparation andfeaturing the dosage system of this invention includes a container 12having a top 14, a pictorial representation of a measurement area 16displayed on the container 12, and a specialized instruction set 18 alsodisplayed on the container 12. Container top 14 includes an aperture 20for metering the flow of the preparation from the container 12.Preferably, the container 12 can be a flexible "squeeze" bottle allowingthe preparation to be forced out of the bottle through the aperture 20in bottle top 14.

The measurement area 16 displayed on container 12 is sized and shaped torepresent the area covered by a predetermined volume of the preparationwhen dispensed from container 12 through aperture 20. For instance, inone preferred embodiment, the area represents 3 ml. of the preparationwhen dispensed from the bottle in a manner to cover an equivalent area,i.e., an area of the same size and shape. In operation, a persondispenses the preparation into his or her hand in an area equivalent insize and shape to measurement area 16. By comparing the dispensedportion to the measurement area, the person can get a very good estimateof the amount of preparation dispensed from the container. The hands arethen rubbed together and used to spread the preparation over the skinarea to be covered. This can be repeated in the case where themeasurement area 16 only represents a partial dosage.

The measurement area 16 can be displayed in various orientations on thecontainer 12. For instance, in the preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 1,measurement area 16 is positioned horizontally across the back ofcontainer 12. In another preferred embodiment, shown in FIG. 2,measurement area 16 is positioned vertically along the edge of thecontainer, which allows for easy comparison of the measurement area onthe container to the area covered by the topical preparation dispensedfrom the container. Furthermore, the measurement area 16 can be printedor embossed directly onto the container or printed onto a label to beattached to the container.

Referring to FIG. 3, there is shown an example of a specializedinstruction set 18 for use in conjunction with the measurement area 16.Instruction set 18 is shown configured as a table broken down intocategories such as AGE 22, WEIGHT 24, APPLICATION 26, and DOSE 28columns. The AGE column 22 divides the table into age specific rows,specifically for children under 2 years of age 30, 2 to 6 years of age32, and 6 to 12 years of age 34. Of course, other age breakdowns canalso be used, including adult dosages. The WEIGHT column 24 divides thetable into weight specific categories generally, corresponding to thebreakdown of ages in the AGE column. Specifically, weights under 28 lbs.36 correspond to children under 2 years of age 30, weights between 28 to48 lbs. 38 correspond to children between 2 to 6 years of age 32, andweights over 48 lbs. 34 correspond to children 6 to 12 years of age 40.It should be noted that because skin area is more accurately related toweight than to age, where a person falls into an age category but notinto its corresponding weight range, it is usually preferable to useweight to determine dosage of the topical preparation.

Each entry of the AGE 22 and WEIGHT 34 columns corresponds to an entryinto the APPLICATION 26 and DOSE 28 columns. The entry into theAPPLICATION column shows the corresponding dosage for each correspondingage and weight in terms of the number of measured areas 16 of thepreparation to be applied to the skin. The DOSE 28 column shows acorresponding resulting dosage in milliliters. For instance, forchildren 2 to 6 years old 32 or 28 to 48 lbs. 38, one measured 3 ml.area is to be applied to the skin. For children 6 to 12 years old 34 orover 48 lbs. 40, 2 measured areas 16 are applied to the skin. Forchildren under age 2 years old 30 or under 28 lbs. 36, no applicationdosage is recommended and the user is directed to consult a physician.

Generally, the age and weight breakdown are contingent upon thepopulation using the topical preparation. For example, if children arethe target population, age and weight breakdown should be consistentwith universal growth charts. For adults, weight and height are a betterindicator of skin surface area than age.

Referring to FIG. 4, there is shown another preferred embodiment 50 ofthis invention featuring a "squeezable" tube container 52 for holdingthe topical preparation. For topical preparations which have aconsistency of paste or gel, measurement area 16 can be sized and shapedto essentially measure the length of a bead of the preparationdischarged from the tube 52 through aperture 20. In the case when thepreparation is liquified, the measurement area 16 can be sized andshaped to account for the anticipated spreading of the preparation oncedischarged from the container 52.

Referring to FIG. 5, there is shown another preferred embodiment 60 ofthis invention featuring a manually operated pump 62 for drawing thepreparation from the container 12 for ejection through aperture 20 atthe end of pump 62. Again, measurement area 16 is used in conjunctionwith instructions 18 to provide the proper dosage.

While this invention has been particularly shown and described topreferred embodiments thereof, it would be understood by those skilledin the art that various changes in form and detail may be made thereinwithout departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as definedby the appended claims. For instance, although only several types ofcontainers were described herein, this invention is equally applicableto a wide variety of container types, including rigid glass, plastic ormetallic bottles and cans. Similarly, although only several types ofpreparations were described herein, this invention is equally applicableto any preparation to be used in a controlled volume.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for measuring the dosage of a topicalpreparation dispensed from a container, comprising:applying thepreparation to the skin in a pattern shaped and sized to resemble anidentified area displayed on the container; comparing the pattern ofpreparation dispensed on the skin to the identified measurement area todetermine the dosage of the preparation dispensed.
 2. The method ofclaim 1 further comprising the step of repeating the applying andcomparing steps to obtain the total required dosage.
 3. The method ofclaim 1 further comprising the step of applying the preparation to theskin in an amount specified by specialized instructions.
 4. The methodof claim 3 wherein the amount of preparation to be applied to the skinis determined by the weight of the person.
 5. The method of claim 3wherein the amount of preparation to be applied to the skin isdetermined by the age of the person.
 6. The method of claim 3 whereinthe amount of preparation to be applied by the skin is determined by theskin area to which the preparation is to be applied.